The Rejection
by cartuneslover17
Summary: 'Harold Wilson couldn't understand what Nicole saw in that chubby bunny. Well, actually, chubby was an understatement. Harold had seen ships with less cargo compared to Richard Watterson.' Takes place sometime after Nicole and Richard met as kids in "The Choices".


**After watching "The Choices", I always wondered, since he was sort of hitting on Nicole in the flashback, what Harold's thought might of been after she and Richard met. I got some serious _Beauty and the Beast_ vibes from seeing that part. **

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!  
_**

Harold Wilson couldn't understand what Nicole saw in that chubby bunny. Well, actually, chubby was an understatement. Harold had seen ships with less cargo compared to Richard Watterson.

The rainbow-sporting individual narrowed his eyes, staring across the lunchroom where one of the school's beauties sat. He remembered the earlier years of middle school when all Nicole wore was her martial arts uniform. As plain and gaudy as it was, he had to admit it had been rather adorable on her. That was Nicole when they were all twelve. Now in high school, he began to notice even more that such a lass was practically a godsend.

And fate was cruel not to bring her into his arms. Instead, fate brought her into the sweaty, fat arms of that momma's boy Watterson kid. Harold watched in disgust as Nicole offered the rest of her food to that pink rabbit, as if she hardly remembered that he already had ten times the amount of calories she had eaten. Her smile was sincere, her flirty offer to spoon feed him her mashed potatoes made Harold's colorful body redden with rage.

However, he took the time to admire the beautiful blue cat as well. Hair down and held back by pink clips, and that pretty purple sweater that bared one of her shoulders. Her outfit seemed to match perfectly with his own, a sweater of highly expensive value. Just as Harold felt they could be as well.

Before she met Richard, Nicole Senicourt was an unapproachable beauty. Not to say she was a man-hater or anything, it was just that her interests were 100% focused on success, and appeasing her life-planning parents. Harold heard her folks expected her to marry a man of the medical field in the future. Well, he might as well call them mom and pop if he ever personally met them, because that was going to become Harold's career.

Yet Nicole still laid her heart for the oaf who obviously wasn't going to get into college.

No matter how hard he or any guy tried, she friendzoned every single one. Harold hated that term. He hated to be reminded that a popular guy like him could not attract the entire population of women. But he didn't care for other women at this point. He only desired Nicole. She was intelligent, witty, pretty, and incredibly strong in both body and mind. He recalled that time he thought she was running toward him. He tried to act cool about it, sending her his usual pick-up lines, but deep down he was overjoyed that she would finally date him.

How wrong he had been when Nicole just abruptly ran over his face, hardly even recognizing his presence. What made it more painful was how that had been the day she met Richard. Harold would have gladly taken her out to dinner, yet she was appreciative of a dang _nut_ (he overheard her confess this gesture of Richard to one of the girls at school; probably that Jackie person or whatever). While his family was not as wealthy as the Yoshidas, Harold knew he could give anything Nicole desired.

And that woman chose the guy whom she was willing to shovel mashed potatoes into.

Harold fought every urge to walk over there and use another one of his successful pick-up lines on Nicole. Well, not the "Have you lose weight? Your head looks bigger." one. His face was still healing from those recent slaps…

He tried not to puke his lunch as Nicole wiped Richard's potato-covered face. Dear God, he ate like a wild animal! A wild, ugly animal! How could such a beauty like Nicole think that was cute?

"Hey, man!" He turned to see one of his bandmates greet him. "Don't forget the party this Friday at my house! All the best girls are going to attend!"

Harold said nothing, glancing back toward the blue cat whose fingers linked lovingly with Richard's.

"All the best girls, huh?" the rainbow-colored man asked, a satisfied look on his face.  
_

The party was actually nice for a middle class neighborhood. After Harold parked his expensive ride across the street, he witnessed the front yard overwhelmed by practically everyone from school. Beats erupted from one of the music students who wanted to have a career as a DJ, and the tables of food actually looked appealing. What made it even better was that his bandmate had been right: all the best girls were present. And they were all dressing super nicely.

Harold offered his most suave smile, hands in the pockets of his designer jeans as he strolled toward the event. He high-fived a few buddies on one side, winked and clicked his tongue to some girls on the other. These were the kind of girls easily charmed by him, and Harold could have flirted with them already, but his focus was only on one girl.

As he entered the open door of the house, there was hardly room to roam around. Balloons were rather a cheap attempt at a bash, but they made the entire living space look more lively. He could hear bottles of soda fizz open, and the loud crunches of chips being devoured. Guys and girls raised their voices high out of excitement and thrill, especially on the dance floor while the music increased volume. Harold gave the usual flip of his long, colorful hair.

However, his mouth slowly fell open when he saw Nicole. She stood in a corner, away from the craziness of everything, merely hovering right next to one of the buffet tables. The blue cat wore a yellow summer dress, a white jacket hugging her frame. The clips were gone, allowing her hair to fall to one side of her face. But Harold certainly wasn't complaining.

She appeared rather unsure of herself, as if she couldn't understand typical high school parties. She wasn't with any of the girls at the moment. The best part was that Richard was nowhere to be seen.

Harold's heart gave a hopeful thump, as if fate was finally going to grant him the beauty he vied for since 7th grade. It could be like the movies. Girl meets guy at party, they talk and dance; and when the party is near its end, guy offers girl to take her home. And then stuff deemed too inappropriate for something rated PG-13 would probably ensue. Harold tried not to think about it, although his drool betrayed him.  
~

Nicole plucked another chip from the saucer and engulfed it. The party was nice, and all her classmates and friends were present. She only wished Richard could be here. He said he was coming, and probably was just running late due to his protective mother. She hardly noticed a flirtatious rainbow-ed lad sidle right next to her, his eyes trying to meet her own.

"Hey, girl, no need to get lonely," he expressed with his usual charm. "I'm already here."

When their eyes met, the fantasy of teenage love vanished as she merely scowled at him.

"Okay, what do you want?" Nicole asked begrudgingly.

She stiffened a bit when Harold's arm laid on the wall behind her. The blue cat could have given him a black eye already for invading the space between them. She could practically smell mints off his breath, not that it was a bad thing. But just like in middle school, she knew what he was up to.

"So where's your lard-eating boyfriend tonight?" he teased. "Bet he must have dumped you for an all-you-can-eat spree at Joyful Burger, am I right?"

Nicole's expression hardened and merely pushed him back. He grunted for a moment, but was not perturbed by this. However, that was the first time they made any physical contact since the day she ran over his face.

"Richard's just late," Nicole insisted. "He did say he would meet me here," she added, glancing worriedly at her surroundings.

Harold still leaned toward her. "You know, if he doesn't come, which I'm pretty sure he won't, perhaps I could be of some assistance."

She huffed at him. "As if that'll lead anywhere for us!"

With that she turned on her heel, stomping away from him. Harold went after her, merging into the crowd just as she had and trying to find the blue-furred beauty. He squeezed and pushed past other students, refusing to lose Nicole again. Finally, he spotted her exiting out the back door of the house, leading to the other yard.

Once Harold reached it, he found that the back yard was empty of people. He found Nicole leaning against a nearby tree, her eyes to the moon as she hugged herself from the mild breeze of the evening. She looked so majestic and graceful, all she needed now was a Prince Charming around her arm to make the image complete.

"Nicole," Harold said, dropping his flirty demeanor as he approached her. She didn't budge, but still gave him a dirty glare. "You know, I really had hoped you'd come to this party. Because, girl, all I wanted to do was see you, a beauty I've known since we were twelve. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

The blue cat scoffed. "Oh, believe me, it tells me _everything_. And if you think you can just sweep me off my feet like the immature amateur you are, I bet your mother couldn't look at you without feeling disappointed!"

"Hey, keep my mother out of this!" Harold whined. "At least my mother doesn't go planning my entire future of probably taking over the world or something!"

Nicole frowned. "Touche." She then looked away from him. "What are you even doing here, Harold? Don't you have some airheads to blow?"

"Okay, first off, no," Harold retorted. "Second, I want a girl who can be real smart with me." He offered a genuine smile toward the female cat, extending an eager hand toward her. "A real smart beauty who knows how to entice me with sharp words I probably wouldn't understand but pretend to anyway."

Nicole merely scoffed again, rolling her eyes. "You can be a Casanova all you want, but it's never going to work!"

Harold felt a burning rage inside. "Don't tell me you still think highly of that inflated piece of bubblegum! Even more than me!"

"What girl could ever think highly of you?" Nicole shot back.

"Tons of women!" he argued, throwing his arms up. "Practically millions! They adore me, worship the ground I walk on!"

"Feels more like those women are willing date anyone who'll hopefully marry them with a large bank account in the future," Nicole said with disinterest.

The rainbow teen inhaled before breathing out slowly, certain steam could escape his nostrils. Nicole was super witty tonight, and he found that absolutely hot no matter how much it aggravated him.

"Well, I don't care about those women!" Harold insisted. "It's you I want! Criminy, Nicole, I love you!"

This time she lifted up from the tree, and leaned toward him. However, instead of anything passionate Harold hoped for out of all this, she merely gave him the deadliest stare any girl could give him.

"Love, Harold?" she repeated. "You really think this could be love?"

"I'd give you the whole world if I could!" he promised desperately. "Well, probably at least Arkansas..." Harold thought, pondering the possibility.

"That's what you'll say first," Nicole pointed out. "But later on down the road of life you'll become a despicable person whose taken everything he's loved for granted."

"What?" he exclaimed in distraught. "You're crazy!"

"Am I?" she challenge. "I bet in the future after we marry and have kids, you'll just toss me aside for a younger woman after you think you've gotten a billion dollars when in reality it's actually a forged check that was played as a prank to get back at you as vengeance because everyone knows you're a jerk!"

Harold blinked. "What?"

Nicole exhaled, rubbing the side of her forehead. "Look, Harold, as much as I want to appreciate your 'feelings' for me, I'm with Richard."

"Oh, come on!" he shouted, unable to control his jealousy. "What does he have that I don't? At least I still have my father!"

The blue cat wanted to scratch his face for saying that. After they met, Richard confessed to Nicole how his dad just disappeared one night to get milk. He admitted he was still waiting for him and that milk to come home, even though it's been almost a year since that night. Nicole did everything she could to comfort him, even though Richard assured her that he and his mom had already picked themselves up afterward.

"True, he may not have his father around right now," she admitted. "But he does have everything that I've always wanted in a man."

"I have everything and more than what he has!" Harold cried.

"You can tell yourself that for as long as you want," Nicole told him, her voice suspiciously calm. "Even long after you marry someone who's probably going to chain you like a dog to discipline that thing you call your pride. You may have a lot of things that would make most woman want you immediately."

Harold just looked at her.

"But I'm not most women," she said, her expression hardening. "And all the things you have don't measure up to what makes a good person."

He could feel the color drain from his face. Literally because some of the color just dripped down his legs unto the grass. It was a cloud thing.

"Those kind of qualities that I want in a man," she said briskly, "I see in Richard, oh, so much."

The wind seemed to get colder as he just gawked at her. His mind jumbled from quick pick-up lines to last-minute reasons why he think Nicole was wrong about him. But nothing came out, his voice empty as his heart. They just stood there, facing one another. The beautiful cat's arms folded, her blue locks slowly flying across her forehead due to the weather.

"Nicole!"

Both turned just in time to see Richard standing in the doorway. Harold glance back at the blue cat, and his heart could not descend any further as he saw her face. Her expression of hatred had converted to one of sincere adoration the moment she saw Richard. Never would she ever give a smile like that to Harold no matter how much he tried.

"Richard!" she exclaimed happily. "I was wondering where you were!"

"Sorry..." the pink bunny said shyly, playing with his fingers. "My mom had to make sure I was well-instructed about emergency in case something happened tonight. Like last week at Joyful Burger's all-you-can-eat spree. Oh, hey, Harold!" he greeted with a friendly wave.

Harold said nothing, and Richard hardly noticed the expression of wanting to die on the rainbow guy's face.

"And let's be clear on something else, Harold," Nicole said quietly to him. "You may think of me as just some beauty. But mess with me or Richard, and you'll be dealing with the _beast_."

With that, she walked over to Richard. Harold could only stand there and watch as some other guy engulfed her in his arms. He could not look away as they shared a kiss, and he was pretty sure she was using some tongue just to make it more obvious she and Harold would never be.

They returned to the party, Richard unwittingly closing the door on Harold. The heartbroken teen stood there for what could have been hours, still grasping what could have been if Nicole had just stopped running and met him instead.


End file.
